1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric wire connection structure of a connector terminal to be inserted into a terminal accommodating chamber of a connector housing from behind.
2. Description of the Related Art
Like an example shown in FIG. 14, a common connector terminal 201 has on its front side an electric connection section 202 to be connected to an un-illustrated counterpart terminal, and the like. Further, the common connector terminal 201 has on its rear side a front-side conductor crimping section 203 and a rear-side cladding crimping section 204 as an electric wire connection section to be crimped and connected to an end of an electric wire W. The conductor crimping section 203 is formed from a bottom plate (not shown) and a pair of crimping pieces 203b and 203b that are upwardly extended from both side edges of the bottom plate, so as to substantially assume the shape of letter U when viewed in cross section. The cladding crimping section 204 is formed from the bottom plate (not shown) and a pair of crimping pieces 204b and 204b that are upwardly extended from both side edges of the bottom plate, so as to substantially assume the shape of letter U when viewed in cross section. The conductor crimping section 203 and the cladding crimping section 204 have the continual bottom plate in common.
In order to connect the connector terminal 201 of this type to the end of the electric wire W, an insulated sheath Wb of the electric wire W is cut by a length required to be crimped to the conductor crimping section 203, thereby making a conductor Wa in the insulated sheath Wb exposed. The thus-exposed conductor Wa is put on the bottom plate of the conductor crimping section 203, and a portion of the conductor Wa covered with the insulated sheath Wb is also put on the bottom plate of the cladding crimping section 204. The pair of crimping pieces 203b, 203b of the conductor crimping section 203 and the pair of crimping pieces 204b, 204b of the cladding crimping section 204 are inwardly rounded, thereby crimping the crimping pieces so as to enwrap the conductor Wa and the portion of the conductor Wa covered with the insulated sheath Wb. The connector terminal 201 and the electric wire W can thereby be connected to each other.
Subsequently, the conductor Wa is, in case of necessity, protected against corrosion and waterproofed by molding or coating a connected portion of the electric wire with a resin 8 so as to cover the entirety of the exposed portion of the conductor Wa. In particular, when the conductor Wa of the electric wire W is formed from aluminum or an aluminum alloy, such resin sealing is practiced. For instance, when the connector terminal is formed from copper or a copper alloy, a junction between dissimilar metals might undergo electric corrosion when moisture attaches to the junction. The junction is covered with the resin 8 to prevent electric corrosion.
Covering an electric-wire-connected portion of a terminal with a resin has widely been known in; for instance, JP-A-2010-97704.
Incidentally, when the electric wire connection portion of the terminal is covered with a resin in a manner as mentioned above, a cross section of the covered portion becomes larger. Accordingly, when the terminal is about to be inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber of the connector housing, the portion covered with the resin interferes with the connector housing, which often poses difficulty on or impedes insertion of the terminal. In particular, the portion of the terminal whose cross section becomes largest corresponds to an area where the portion of the electric wire connection portion covered with the insulated sheath is further coated with the resin. When this portion becomes too large, ease of insertion of the terminal into the terminal accommodating chamber becomes often deteriorated.
The present invention has been conceived in light of the circumstance and aims at providing an electric wire connection structure of a connector terminal that enables easy insertion of a terminal into a terminal accommodating chamber of a connector housing even when an electric wire connection portion is coated with a resin.